In a searing address, Chris Sidoti, an esteemed Australian human rights lawyer and member of the United Nations’ investigative commission on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, accused Israel of creating a “terrorism creation factory” in Gaza. Alongside former International Criminal Court judge Navi Pillay, Sidoti’s statements come amid a spike in violence and civilian casualties in Gaza, where the UN claims Israel’s prolonged occupation is the root cause of an escalating crisis that risks permanently impacting generations of Palestinian youth.
With the recent resurgence of conflict, Gaza’s death toll is reaching unprecedented numbers. As of last week, UN data reports over 13,000 Palestinian deaths in Gaza alone, a tragic toll that includes nearly 5,000 children, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health. Of these children, 786 were under the age of one, underscoring a widespread loss of life among the youngest and most vulnerable. Furthermore, the situation in the occupied West Bank has also escalated, with 165 children killed in recent months as clashes intensify. The humanitarian impact on Gaza’s 2.3 million residents, over half of whom are minors, is devastating, Sidoti stressed.
“We are facing a situation where the systemic conditions in Gaza – poverty, siege, lack of basic resources, and relentless exposure to violence – are generating an environment that fosters extremism. This isn’t accidental; it’s the natural outcome of policies that deny people basic human rights,” Sidoti stated. His remarks were notably pointed, addressing a question from an Israeli journalist who challenged the commission’s findings on Israel’s actions. Sidoti’s response, underscored by somber statistics, aimed to refocus the discourse on the impact of Israeli policies on civilians, especially children. “Children aren’t terrorists,” he emphasized. “The killing of thousands of children, many just infants, tells us everything we need to know about the trajectory of this conflict.”
Sidoti criticized Israel’s treatment of the UN agency UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees), which provides essential services to Palestinian refugees, particularly in Gaza. UNRWA has faced accusations of alleged terrorist affiliations within its ranks. Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, recently moved to ban UNRWA operations within the country. However, Sidoti defended the agency, noting that while nine UNRWA staff have been dismissed following investigations, “this is minuscule compared to the allegations of war crimes that remain largely unaddressed within the Israeli Defense Forces.” Sidoti highlighted the irony that UNRWA has saved Israeli taxpayers billions by providing the essential services Israel, as the occupying power, is obligated to supply under international law. This includes hospitals, educational facilities, and social security, which would otherwise fall to the Israeli government under the Fourth Geneva Convention.
UN investigator Navi Pillay added context to the debate by pointing to the International Court of Justice’s (ICJ) determination that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories is unlawful. This landmark decision, Pillay argued, provides a legal basis for international bodies to demand immediate action against the occupation. “The ICJ ruling establishes the foundation for peace negotiations, rooted firmly in the law, that any future agreements must honor,” Pillay explained. “This occupation, deemed illegal, cannot be overlooked in the interest of diplomatic expediency.”
The UN investigators contend that as long as the occupation persists, the risk of deepening resentment and radicalization among Palestinian youth is almost inevitable. Sidoti expressed particular concern for Gaza’s young population, who have grown up knowing only conflict and deprivation. Malnutrition is now at crisis levels, with acute food shortages and lack of medical care. According to recent reports from the World Health Organization, the number of children requiring amputations from conflict-related injuries has reached record highs. This medical emergency is compounded by a severe shortage of medical supplies due to an ongoing blockade on Gaza, enforced by Israel since 2007.
Reflecting on a lifetime spent working for peace and justice, Sidoti voiced his personal concerns for the future: “As a father and soon-to-be great-grandfather, I cannot ignore the impact that witnessing death, trauma, and deprivation has on these children. The lives they are being forced into are devastatingly void of hope and opportunity.” The trajectory, he warned, is unsustainable and poses a serious risk for Israeli security as well, as future generations raised under occupation are more likely to harbor animosity and desperation.
Sidoti further remarked on the “double standards” among Western nations, which, he argued, avoid addressing the root causes of the conflict while openly supporting Israel’s military capabilities. “It is hypocrisy to condemn violence on one side while consistently providing military aid to the other,” he argued, pointing to the Human Rights Council’s ongoing investigation into international arms transfers to Israel. “Member states have a duty to reassess their support, which underpins the occupation and indirectly perpetuates these cycles of violence.”
Pillay echoed Sidoti’s views, condemning incendiary statements by some Israeli officials, which she claimed “dehumanize” Palestinian civilians. Statements referring to Palestinians as “human animals” or vowing to cut off essential resources, she argued, “create a dangerous rhetoric that normalizes violence and abuse.” The UN commission has documented dozens of similar statements in recent months and plans to include them in its next report, which will further examine the psychological impact of the occupation on Palestinian children and assess Israel’s compliance with international humanitarian law.
Despite the gravity of these findings, Sidoti lamented that significant international decisions and resolutions have yet to result in effective change. “Security Council resolutions, General Assembly votes, and ICJ rulings have all been in favor of justice for Palestinians, but none of these have spared even a single child from the horrors of this conflict,” he said.
Sidoti and Pillay’s calls for immediate global action to end the occupation underline the urgency of a sustainable solution for Gaza and the broader Palestinian territories. The long-term humanitarian and political consequences of the status quo, they argue, threaten both the Palestinian people and Israel’s security.
